Virgin to remove bagfree fares from Domestic Routes

[aamslfc]

As always, it's wholly dependent on your travel dates.

If you've got the luxury of advance booking (i.e. 2-4 months away), there's a truckload of SYD-MEL flights to be had for just $87 (using the discount codes).

 

[kpc]

Yesterday, cheapest flight Syd-Bne on 1/10 (Saver light): $129 (I got free baggage as a VA Pat, but rarely used)
Today, cheapest flight Syd-Bne on 1/10 (Saver): $142 EQUALS 10% fare rise!!:evil:

 

[Deleted member 29185]

So no real indication just yet. Some up but some down with the saver pricing but the flexi prices seem all up??? Is that correct, or has someone found flexis that have remained static or even decreased? Higher flexis may be a sign of the "smoke and mirrors" strategy. Drop the price of some savers to avoid the backlash whilst decreasing the bucket availability and jack up the next bucket fares to achieve a net revenue increase. Yet to be seen I guess.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Just as a data point, a common flexi I've been buying has gone from $238 to $245 or about 3% up.

 

[Virgin Bart]

Why on earth have Flexis gone up?

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Why on earth have Flexis gone up?

Smoke and mirrors......no one will notice, they're all looking at the saver fares.

 

[kevrosmith]

Why on earth have Flexis gone up?

I reckon they have decided to play catch-up to QF. QF Flex fares went up a few dollars across the board, though they did the Fare Changes on 18-Feb, and then waited a week or so until they adjusted the prices (or it may have been at the same time, I can't quite remember).

 

[JohnK]

Smoke and mirrors......no one will notice, they're all looking at the saver fares.

Deception? From an airline?

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Deception? From an airline?

Not deception, but sleight of hand..............perhaps!

 

[Aus ATC]

I've been watching BNE-HBA fares for Mrs Aus ATC - dates in April. Saver Lite was $185 - minimum fare now is $199 (old saver fare). And one of the flights she wants has jumped to $229

Flexi's have gone up $10.00 as well.

At least the points costs haven't gone up.

Usual story - 20/20 hindsight.

 

[anat0l]

Fares gone up. But guess what? You're all still flying, so you're all still buying.

Net result: not much is changing.

Boring!

On a less facetious note, one should wait until the next sale season to see what is going on for sure with the fares (plus all the floating discount codes). Most of the prices, with exceptions of Flexis, seem to be quoting the standard rack rate fares.

 

[jpk]

I booked MEL-SYD-MEL yesterday for late May. Using a code it was $87 each way for saver lite, today same dates is $100. Without code, 99 -> 109. There is currently a promo sale on for these dates.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Fares gone up. But guess what? You're all still flying, so you're all still buying

Well, it beats walking!

In my circumstance though anat0l, I had previously bought all my known flights right through to the end of Sept. using a particular code and I just recently cancelled all VA flights to rebook with same code and double points, so yes... I'm still flying, but no... I'm not still buying!

Any new purchases will be looked at the same as usual.......VA vrs QF vrs JQ vrs TT. I have not yet succumbed to the TT lure, but it does still remain an option.

 

[aamslfc]

Net result: not much is changing.

Most of the prices, with exceptions of Flexis, seem to be quoting the standard rack rate fares.

Totally agree - all VA have done, really, is get rid of a few fare buckets. The 'Saver' fares are pretty much unchanged, and few $ here and there makes little difference on the already higher-priced Flexis (particularly as both VA and QF have previously warned of fare increases in 2015).

I don't get what the problem is, to be brutally honest. Sure, the el-cheapo 'Saver Lite' fare buckets are gone, but I wasn't expecting an increase in the number of 'Saver' seats to offset that loss, and I'm certainly not surprised that VA is bringing itself closer to QF in terms of available fares. I guess we could call it a 'simplification' .

Sure, I find it mildly irritating that I can no longer take advantage of status and my luggage allowance, and pay fractionally less on a Saver Lite, but for me it's not the biggest problem in the world.

Don't forget, there are still discounts to be had and cheap fares to be found - and if cost is really that much of an issue, just buy some Elevate points and cash in on the cheap redemptions

 

[Milefest]

Yep looks like they're officially removed from the booking website. BNE<->SYD that used to cost $139 now cost $142 and flexis that used to cost $335 now cost $349.

Flexis aren't viable for me anymore, more than double the cost of savers but you don't get more than double points or sc's. Better off buying another flight if you can't make it, or use the saving for another flight, even then you've still got money left over..

 

[medhead]

Yep looks like they're officially removed from the booking website. BNE<->SYD that used to cost $139 now cost $142 and flexis that used to cost $335 now cost $349.

Flexis aren't viable for me anymore, more than double the cost of savers but you don't get more than double points or sc's. Better off buying another flight if you can't make it, or use the saving for another flight, even then you've still got money left over..

Should get double the status and points.

 

[anat0l]

Should get double the status and points.

Exactly, but what was implied that the prices are going up but the award of SCs isn't. Not that it makes sense across all fares - now or before - that a fare which is n times more expensive should attract n times more SCs.

Actually the number of points given to a Flexi is "more than double", since points on domestic flights (at least wholly domestic ones) are based on the price paid.

 

[medhead]

Exactly, but what was implied that the prices are going up but the award of SCs isn't. Not that it makes sense across all fares - now or before - that a fare which is n times more expensive should attract n times more SCs.

Actually the number of points given to a Flexi is "more than double", since points on domestic flights (at least wholly domestic ones) are based on the price paid.

I didn't read it that way. It was a comparison between fare classes not a statement about increases in one particular fare. As you note a domestic flexi costing more than double a saver (comparatively) will earn more than double the points. It will also earn double the SC.

Certainly if SC is the goal then 2 savers @ less than 1/2 a flexi will be cheaper. But it is not correct to say a flexi earns less than double saver earning.

 

[JohnK]

Anyway checked airfares earlier and saw both Saver Lite and Saver. I was specifically checking BNE-SYD return and OOL-SYD return on sale for June 2015. I just checked again now and the Saver Lite fares are gone but the Saver fare is the price as the old Saver Lite.

There must have been a glitch in the transition as the airfares now are nothing like what I saw 2 days ago.

BNE-SYD for 09 May - 25 Jun $105. Qantas $109.
BNE-SYD for 22 Jul - 16 Sep $89. Qantas $95.

Ridiculous prices from Virgin and their only saving grace are the discount codes where the $105 airfare comes down to ~$92 and the $89 airfare comes down to ~$81 and a further 5% off by using a gift voucher.

 

[UP4014]

Yep looks like they're officially removed from the booking website. BNE<->SYD that used to cost $139 now cost $142 and flexis that used to cost $335 now cost $349.

Flexis aren't viable for me anymore, more than double the cost of savers but you don't get more than double points or sc's. Better off buying another flight if you can't make it, or use the saving for another flight, even then you've still got money left over..

There more for the business traveller I would guess.